Singletree for vehicles



(No Model.)

' SINGLETREE FOR VEHICLES. No 432,532. Patented July 22, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS F. JONES, OF ROI/VENA, SOUTH DAKOTA.

SINGLETREE FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,532, dated July 22, 1890.

Application filed February 28, 1890. Serial No. 342,138- (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, THoMAsF. JONES, a citizen of the United Statcs,1esiding at Rowena, in the county of Minnehaha and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sin gletrees for Vehicles; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The special object of the invention is to prevent personal injury and loss of life from runaway horses by releasing the traces and allowing the horse to leave the vehicle.

The invent-ion consists in the particular means which I employ for this purpose, the same being hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan view, and Fig. 2 a transverse vertical section.

In the drawings, A represents the chillframe of a single-horse vehicle; but my invention may be readily applied to a vehicle drawn by more than one horse.

B is the singletree-middle, pivoted in the usual manner upon the cross-bar O. This pivot-rod D is extended up vertically" to a point slightly above the top of the dash-board,

and there provided with an arm E, which pro jects over the dash-board. The rod D has two equal arms (1 d, which are connected at each end by a chain F with the eye 9 of a bolt G, which passes through the cockeyc at the end of the trace.

Thesingletree B has at each end a casting B, with the holes I) 1), into one of which the trace works, while the other contains a spiral spring II, which encircles the bolt G and presses against its collar g.

\Vhen the driver turns the pivot-rod D with the arm IE, it withdraws both the slide-bolts G G from the traces and allows the horse to leave the vehicle, the breeching-straps leaving the holdback-irons I I as the horse goes out of the shafts.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

A singletree-pivot D, having two opposite equal arms d d, connecting by chains with spring trace-pins, and extending up a little higher than the dash-board of the vehicle, and there provided with a jointed arm E, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS F. JONES. Witnesses:

W. BENEDICT, J. E. BROWN. 

